


The Chain

by KyberHearts



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Family Bonding, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Rogue One canon experiences, Post-War, Recovery, Some profanity, including - Freeform, roadtrip au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 06:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11458302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyberHearts/pseuds/KyberHearts
Summary: Roadtrip, anyone?Traveling coast to coast with the Rogue One squadron poses memorable bonding moments including but not limited to: forgotten droids, weather disasters, heated car debates, great food and drink, murder and mystery, new friends, delayed schedules, and learning how to heal and be a family.





	The Chain

**Author's Note:**

> Some short stories to help kickstart my writing again - I have a few WIPS that I'm eager to continue, especially Last and Least.  
> \---  
> Titled inspired by Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" I absolutely love this song, and its role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 :)

“Are you sure I can’t get you a drink or something?” asks the waiter again, who fidgets with his pen and pad, standing in the nearly deserted diner. The only people remaining are the kitchen staff, a few waiters cleaning the remaining tables, and the manager thumbing the day’s profits. “Chef’s done for the day. All I can offer is water, or beer.”

But sitting unnervingly still, politely, is K-2SO, who replies: “No, thank you.” This is not the first time the waiter’s asked this, and not the first time Kay-Tu has refused. Under the diner’s fluorescents, the droid’s black coating dulls but his silver eyes gleam brighter than ever. The environment inside the quiet diner resembles more alien and otherworldly than the mild Southwest.

The waiter bites his lip. Everything had been normal until the droid showed up and sat down. “You’ve been sitting here for a couple of hours. You have, uh, friends?”

“Yes. I’m just waiting to be picked up.”

The waiter thinks,  _ Oh gods, this droid’s been abandoned on my shift and I’ll probably have to haul it down to the station or to the junkyard and then I’ll have that morning shift, oh gods, this is terrible. _ Meanwhile, the manager’s giving him the side eye, wondering why he hadn’t chased the droid out of this fine establishment.  _ How hard could it be? _

He ran through various methods of asking the droid to leave. The waiter’s never dealt with unruly and drunk customers before; those who passed by were usually looking for a place to rest their tired eyes and aching limbs, even if just for a few minutes. The droid didn’t look like it was susceptible to intimidation, nor bribery.

Just as the waiter’s on the verge of asking the droid if it wanted a drink (again), a dark-colored, large van big enough for six or eight passengers roars into the diner’s parking lot and nearly jumps the curb. Before the vehicle stops, a door is flung open and a woman with a scarf wrapped around her neck leaps out.

She enters the diner, out of breath, her eyes scanning its occupants. They land on the security droid, and she lets out a soft “ _ Fuck. _ ”

“Hello, Jyn,” says Kay-Tu, who slides out of the booth lumbers over to her. He towers and his head almost scrapes against the ceiling. His voice is pleasantly cool, but the words bite like winter’s ice. “I’m ready to accept that everyone forgot about the seven-foot tall droid that provides not only the itinerary for this scheduled,  _ hellish  _ road trip, but also essential navigation, and therefore, realize that I am vital to your success.”

“I’m sorry,” Jyn says as she ushers the droid outside. “We would have been back sooner, but we took the wrong freeway and then it took forever to circle back and find this place.”

“I accept your apology,” Kay replies, and she can barely contain her surprise. “As long as it doesn’t happen again. While I enjoyed the atmosphere of the dining establishment compared to the past week’s ridiculously hectic journey, it was very monotonous.”

Jyn returns to the passenger seat and K-2SO clambers into the back with Bodhi, Chirrut, and Baze, the latter two who are already dozing on each other’s shoulders. Bodhi's desperately trying to keep awake by playing with his phone, but failing miserably. Kay, lacking a sense of smell, fails to note that the car smells strongly of fast food.

“Welcome back, Kay,” Cassian says from the front seat. “Hope you didn’t make too much trouble.”

“Oh hush,” Kay murmurs, but now with a hum of slight amusement. “We’ve already created a five-hour delay in the schedule. At this rate, if you keep forgetting people at diners, we’ll  _ never  _ see the beach.”


End file.
